CSE conference on Clean and Sustainable Mobility for all: Agenda for Reforms

September 28-29, 2011, New Delhi

The Centre for Science and Environment organized a workshop on 'Clean and Sustainable Mobility for all: Agenda for Reforms' on September 28-29, 2011 at IHC, New Delhi. This was a dialogue among the key target groups to help raise policy and public awareness regarding mobility crisis in our cities and the reforms under way to address the crisis. This event is a part of CSE’s initiative to promote good regulatory practices in mobility management for clean environment in Indian cities. This initiative will create a platform that will bring together the experts, policy makers, and civil society groups and a select group of international experts to review the ongoing transportation reforms in Indian cities under both central and state government initiatives and set the agenda for the way ahead.

The conference discussed the key challenges ahead regarding implementation of the National Urban Transport Policy, and the reform based JNNURM programme along with the state level transportation and clean air action plans that have started the action in cities.

The workshop highlighted the need for a reform process that can make cities more liveable with the benefits of public transport, walking, cycling and sustainable city forms. The conference debated how reforms can be enabled and accelerated in the future and how the city mobility plans can guide investments for sustainable mobility.

In addition to these challenges, the workshop emphasised on the need for clean mobility as the vehicles are a rapidly growing source of air pollution in Indian cities and contribute significantly to the key pollutants of concern – particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and a range of air toxics – setting the roadmap for 2015 and 2020 becomes urgent. This is needed both to meet the new air quality standards in the city as well as to reduce direct exposure to vehicle fume that occurs within the breathing zone of the majority of the urban Indians. It is therefore, important to set the emissions standards roadmap immediately to pave the way for clean vehicle technology to protect public health.